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Professional Reliance

Over the last number of years, the PEA has conducted ongoing public awareness and media campaigns about professional reliance. We have lobbied Government and opposition politicians on a regular basis and have attempted to create solutions in collective bargaining with the Government. The commitment of the current Government to review professional reliance reflects those efforts, and it is the best opportunity that we have had to contribute towards solutions that will restore some measure of respect for PEA Government Licensed Professionals and the work you do for the Province of BC.

News

News

Special Report: Opportunities to Improve the Forest and Range Practices Act

BC’s Forest Watchdog reports on 20 years of recommendations to the BC Government on improving forest management and concludes, “Government has told the Board that it accepts 56 (of 60) recommendations…Just over half these actions have been fully or partially implemented…However for many of the governments promised actions, the board has no evidence they have been carried out”. PEA licensed science officers positions have been cut by 25 per cent so it is not surprising the Government has not been able to take action. Read more.

Government review of Professional Reliance now open

The Government has committed to a review of professional reliance. This is the best opportunity for positive change since the professional reliance model was introduced in the early 2000’s. The participation of PEA members will impact the outcomes of this review. As previously communicated, the Province has announced that its public survey about professional reliance has opened and will close on January 19, 2018. We are strongly encouraging members to participate in the survey. Read more.

Government Review of Professional Reliance and PEA Political Outreach

The recent NDP and Green party Confidence and Supply Agreement to form government includes a specific commitment to review BCs professional reliance model. In August, the PEA wrote the leader of the Green party and NDP Ministers of Forests, Health, Mental Health, Environment, Energy and Mines, Agriculture and Advanced Education, requesting meetings.

Endangered Experts: Cutbacks in Government Licensed Science Officers

Overall the province has a decrease of one and a half per cent in the number of science officers since 2014, with some science officers continuing to see a year over year decline. This follows an 11.2 per cent decrease from 2009 to 2014 and a nine per cent decrease from 2009 to 2017. The number of licensed foresters employed by the province has decreased by 12 per cent since 2014. Read the full report here.

E4D Report: Oversight At Risk - The State of Government Science in British Columbia

A report by Evidence for Democracy (E4D) released in April of this year, which surveyed the Government Licensed Science Officers, found that that the cutbacks impede the government’s ability to fulfil its responsibility for regulatory oversight. The E4D researchers stated that since 2001, BC’s public service has been reduced to the smallest per capita in Canada. Departments with science-based mandates have been particularly hard hit with a 25 per cent reduction in staff-scientist and government licensed science officer positions in the past decade. E4D found that 71 per cent of BC government scientists surveyed believe that cutbacks have negatively impacted their ability to produce expert reports and documents and 68 per cent feel that there are now insufficient resources to fulfill their branch or ministerial mandate effectively. Read the full report here.

Related Media Coverage

Meetings

We had our first meeting with Green Party leader Andrew Weaver and MLA Sonia Furstenau on September 19. We provided various PEA and other organizations’ reports addressing the shortcomings of professional reliance, including the April 2017, Evidence for Democracy (E4D) report, Oversight At Risk: The State of Government Science in British Columbia, that many of you participated in. Thanks to Ministry of Forests Lands and Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development member, KT Shum and Ministry of Environment member, Bob Konkin for significant efforts in regard to the productive meeting with the Green party. Ms. Furstenau expressed concerns and in-depth knowledge about professional reliance. You can read about her perspectives here.

We have heard from a number of the NDP Ministers’ offices that additional meetings will be scheduled shortly and we will be seeking the opportunity to make a formal submission in the professional reliance review.

How Do I Get Involved?

Our success in impacting the professional reliance review outcomes will be determined in large measure by your willingness to get involved. There are a number of ways in which you can do this:

Provide us with your examples of how professional reliance has negatively impacted BCs environment, public health and safety or stewardship of natural resources. We have collected member stories in this regard over the years and these are always compelling in our discussions with politicians, the media and the public. We take care to ensure that these stories are anonymous and member’s identities are not disclosed to avoid any issues over the Standards of Conduct. Stories can be emailed to Scott McCannell at the PEA.

In this section

The PEA was formed in 1974, by a group of professionals working in the public sector. The story goes that the founders of the union mortgaged their houses to fund negotiations of the union’s first collective agreement.

Our union is led by the PEA Executive. They represent members from across the chapters of the PEA and set the overall vision and direction for our union.

Resources for our members

Navigating a union can sometime be a challenging process. Under this section of the website you will find resources to help you navigate the PEA. In the members section you'll find expense claim reimbursements, information on the PEA's scholarship and bursary program and our grants and donations program.

Collective bargaining and job action resources explain the process of collective bargaining and what to do in the unlikely event of job action.

Local reps can also find resources to help them complete their job more effectively. This includes ways to welcome new members, how to take notes in investigation disciplinary meetings and more.

The heart of our union

The PEA is made up of ten chapters, or groups of members who either work for the same employer or are in the same field of work. Each chapter has an elected executive tasked with running the affairs of the chapter. Each chapter is entitled to representation at the PEA Executive, the governing body of the union.

Our members work for a range of employers: the Province of BC, the University of Victoria, St. Margaret's School, the Family Maintenance Enforcement Program, the Oil and Gas Commission, the Law Society of BC, Legal Services Society, the Okangan Regional Library and health authorities across BC.

Professionals need unions now more then ever

Since the 1970’s, when the PEA was formed, our mission has been to ensure our members can work in safe, productive environments and receive fair and reasonable wages and benefits for the valuable work they do. We help individuals and groups of professional workers to understand the challenges they face in their workplaces and some of the solutions available to them.

We work with potential members to become certified as a union and achieve the wages, benefits and respect they deserve.

The Professional | Volume 43 Issue 4

The Professional is the PEA's award-winning, quarterly magazine for members.

The December 2017 issue includes a profile of UVic member Sheryl Karras, a review of the BCFED young workers' camp, a review of the year and an article on Change Day 2017.